GAME | Media

How to buy games from the Nintendo eShop

27th February 2018

Nintendo’s eShop is an online platform where Nintendo sells major releases, indie games, and downloadable content packs. Found on the Nintendo Switch and 3DS/2DS, it’s a portal to a huge world of gaming goodness.

But you don’t have to jump in cold if you’ve never used it before. We’ve prepared a step-by-step guide which goes over the basics of the eShop, so you can surf through the store and find gaming goodies you’re after with ease.

Getting onto the Nintendo eShop

It’s super easy to get onto Nintendo eShop. If you’re using the Nintendo Switch, for instance, just click on the orange bag icon on the homepage. And that’s it! From here, there are several tabs you can use, such as Recent Releases or Charts, to browse for a game that takes your fancy.

Buying download codes

You can buy games from the Nintendo eShop in two ways. The first is buying a download code for a specific game or add-on. GAME offers these online and in store.
Let’s say you’re after Super Mario Odyssey. You’d can buy the download code from your local store, enter the code into the redeem tab on the eShop, and it will then download straight to your console.
This way, you don’t have to worry about putting your card details onto your console, and you can even trade-in your old games for money off!

Buying with eShop credit

If you’re not sure which game you want yet, you can just buy eShop credit that can be applied to any purchase you make from Nintendo’s online storefront.
As such, Nintendo eShop cards make perfect gifts for the Nintendo fan in your life – just hand them the card and let them spend the funds on the games they’re gagging for! Alternatively, you can use them to buy eShop games without having to enter your credit card details.

Indie games

One of the best reasons to use the Nintendo eShop is to hunt down indie games that are released directly to the platform. Whether it’s the pixel-perfect platformer Celeste, the inspired shoot-’em-up Enter The Gungeon, or fantastic farming sim Stardew Valley, there are plenty of hidden greats just waiting to be discovered.
Like every other game on the store, just find the one you want to buy, go through the purchase process, and download to your console!

Gold Points

You can also use Nintendo’s Gold Points to buy or get a discount on Switch games in the eShop. Gold Points are earned every time you buy a Switch game and register it on your Nintendo account. The only real choice is whether you knock a little or a lot off the price of your next game!